fit to ULTRA-fit!!

Florida_Superstar

Hi, thanks for taking the time to read my question. I'm in my mid-forties. I'm 5'2" and 118 for over 20 years, and I mainly use MFP because I like to see the details of what I'm eating. My fitness level is above average. Workout details at the end. My diary is open, so you can see what I eat. (Week of March 9th is missing because I was on vacation.)

I have no idea where to set my macros after all the information I've read, so they have varied a lot lately while I've been experimenting. I'm not following any particular plan, such as low-carb, Paleo, etc. I try to keep my sugar low and limit bread/rice/pasta--if you advise to eat those foods please let me know that because I miss them!

My goal is to improve from fit to fitter. For me that means a little less body fat and better muscle definition. Basically, I want to look cut and defined. I already have that to some extent, but I just want the next level, and I don't know how to get there. My only limitation is that I have low back pain when I run. I'm good at following any type of diet or exercise plan -- but with all the conflicting information out there, I just don't know what is the right approach for my goal. Thanks for any input.

My current workout is as follows:
Mon: Very heavy spin class
Tuesday: Moderate/Hard Boot Camp (lighter weights, burpees, push ups, etc.)
Wed: Moderate/Easy Spin Class
Thurs: Hard free weights session lifting heavy
Friday: Moderate/Easy Spin Class
Sat: Very heavy spin class

SideSteel

What has your bodyweight done in the past 6 weeks?

If I were you I'd consider looking at the training as well. You're likely to get better body composition results if you add in or substitute additional resistance training. Consider training full body 3 times per week for example.

Florida_Superstar

Thanks for the reply. My body weight has been between 116-118 for 20 years, including the past 6 weeks. (If you see fluctuations in MFP status, it's because someone else in my house has a similar weight. If my app picks up her weight, it shows that I suddenly lost 5 pounds next time I weigh in.) But my weight has been steady.

Focusing on lower carb and higher fat/protein has made a difference in how I feel, but not a significant difference in my appearance, so I'm inclined to think it's the training too. I'll do what you said for training. Any thoughts on diet/macros to support the increased weight training? Thank you again.

Sumiblue

Lift heavy and do less cardio. Aim for 1 G protein/lb lean body mass. If you are getting that now then you are fine. If you want to shed body fat then eat at a slight deficit from maintenance. Eat back your exercise calories. You will need them at your size. I am 5'2" and do StrongLifts 5x5 3-4 times a week, little cardio. Because we are petite our BMR calories are low to begin with. I have found since lifting heavy that I have been able to increase my calories little by little and have been shedding fat. I don't go hungry and have gotten stronger, have muscle definition now. I do net calories and never eat below my BMR.

Florida_Superstar

Sumiblue, what about fat and carbs, or do you just worry about protein? Thanks for the input.

Sumiblue

Aim for hitting your protein goal and don't shy away from fats (satiating) or healthy carbs. Have you followed what MFP has set for your macros? I don't think you need to do anything different because you're lifting. I used to try to limit carbs but I found I needed (craved) carbs when I started lifting heavy. I do have problems with not going crazy with carbs so I try to make my meals more balanced(meat, veg, little starch. For me, it's just not worth the calorie bomb to eat pasta based meals frequently.I used to snack a lot on peanut butter and toast. I have to be careful with that. Nothing wrong with those foods at all unless you have trouble controlling yourself with them. The problem with them is they are very caloric for small serving sizes. I'd rather eat more food that is nutrient dense instead of being disappointed with 1/2 cup of pasta. That just looks sad! That being said, I have been really lax with hitting my macros lately. The folks in this group are super knowledgeable so I'm sure they will give good advice.

Florida_Superstar

Good info. My macros are not what MFP suggested. It started after I read an article about ideal macros for shedding fat. I made the recommended adjustment, but then read a different article (with different ideal macros for shedding fat). So I adjusted again, and then I read ANOTHER article...So now that I'm thoroughly confused, I decided to ask around here and see what real people do. Did anything change for you when you were limiting carbs vs. not? I tried that too and it doesn't seem to make a big difference. I have never limited vegetable carbs, just bread/rice/pasta. Like you, I can get carried away.

Sumiblue

I tried paleo but didn't stick with it very long. I hated how tired I felt at first and it was damn expensive. It just didn't feel right to me. I wasn't lifting yet, either. So, no big change in body fat. I did lose a few lbs. and then put them right back on when I ultimately couldn't hack the diet and binged. Things really didn't start clicking for me until I regularly lifted 3-4x a week and most importantly, found the right calorie goal for me. MFP had my goal at 1200 and it was too low. My BMR is higher than that. I raised calories to 1350 and lost a couple lbs. and raised again to 1400. I'm under sometimes but get close. I eat back exercise calories so I'm not starving. As soon as I started raising my calories (slowly) I started losing fat (tracking progress with bf scale and tape measure). At 1200 calories I kept losing and gaining the same few lbs. since raising my calories I've been losing steadily. I think I underestimated my activity level so I am still at a deficit even though I am eating more. You are already at a low healthy weight for your height so probably maintenance calories and more lifting will do what you want. I am heavier than you. I started out at 137 January 2 and today I am 127.5. I'd like to get to 20% body fat. I'm concentrating on that more than scale weight now, though I like the losses

Florida_Superstar

Good for you on the weight loss since January! And thanks for sharing the details. I'm going to add more heavy lifting to my routine. I teach a circuit class where we alternate cardio and weights (higher reps, lighter weights with a cardio effect). I think I'll try to do 2 additional full body workouts a week with heavy weights. I hope that's enough because the class kind of locks me into a schedule where I can't lift the day before or after. Thanks for your thoughts. Btw, LOVE the picture of the cat in your profile.

Sumiblue

Sumiblue

Wow, what happened here? Blank post. Guess I can't post a cat emoticon. He's a handsome cat-and he knows it!

Florida_Superstar

Ha -- funny now some of them "know it." Well, I'm going to take your suggestions for the next 5-6 weeks and then I'll let you know if I see any changes.

Sumiblue

You are in a great place to start lifting heavy. Excited to hear how you do! I hope to get my weight down to where yours is this year.